$142,500. our passion, your profit. Our weaning percentage averaged 142% for the past two years, and our ewes cut 6.8kg at 11 months SPRING 2016

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1 our passion, your profit NEWSLETTER SPRING 2016 Our weaning percentage averaged 142% for the past two years, and our ewes cut 6.8kg at 11 months - Kerin Poll foundation client, Darren Reeks, Woodstock $142,500 We are in our seventh year at Kerin Poll and as we set sail for our September 5 on-property ram sale, we do so with an artillery like never before. Kerin Poll has invested an unprecedented $142,500 into genetics to deliver for you our 2016 ram sale team of 250 Poll Merino rams. They will blow you away! For those who are not yet Kerin Poll clients, we ask you to consider this: how much is your current stud investing into the future of your Merino sheep business? If you change nothing, nothing will change. This investment began back in September, 2014, when Kerin Poll bid to $53,000 to purchase The Kelvinator (MP306, pictured right) from Moorundie Park Poll Merino Stud, at Adelaide Royal Show. At the time, we said this 2013-drop super sire was big, white, square and very cool - with something in him for everyone, and hasn t that proven to be the case! Has there been a bigger impact sire in the industry? Time will tell. The Kelvinator has greatly influenced Kerin Poll and the 32 Merino studs across Australia that he was used in last year. At the time of printing, Nigel had visited three of these studs and their top four 2015-drop rams were ALL by The Kelvinator! We will be proud to display the first of his Kerin Poll sons at this year s ram sale. First sons of The Kelvinator and first embryo transfer (ET) lambs in 2016 sale In addition to investment in sires, Kerin Poll has entered the world of embryo transfer (ET). Hindsight s a beautiful thing, but gee we wish we d done this five years ago! The introduction of ET at Kerin Poll has fast-tracked the genetic gain in this stud far beyond our own expectations and we just can t wait to show you the results. Our first ET program yielded 202 cracking lambs, which have demonstrated terrific growth rates right from the start. This year we have produced a further 320 ET lambs, for next year s sale. May 2015-drop ET lambs We carried out three artifical insemination (AI) programs with a total of 2392 stud ewes in the production of this year s sale team. These ewes were joined to just six elite sires - all of which carry the traits and data behind them to correct, improve and strengthen what is needed in a modern Merino breeding program. We spoke last year of the Golden Trio (fertility, growth rates and fleece weights) and our focus remains on these traits to ensure the repeated profitability of dual purpose Merinos - above their terminal counterparts. Our focus on choosing only the best sires ensures we produce only the best progeny for our clients. The case for continuous improvement is one we firmly subscribe to here at Kerin Poll. You are either degenerating or regenerating - there is no such thing as a static state. The same could be said for our own health, among other things. If you don t have a vision for the future, then your future is threatened to be a repeat of the past ~ A.R. Bernard. Sire evaluation trials prove Kerin Poll salt Our sire, Kerin Poll 980 (by KP304), has been a stand-out for fleece weight and growth in two separate sire evaluation trials. His Yearling Clean Fleece Weight (YCFW) ASBV of (as at 26/6/16) is the highest in the country for a ram with a corresponding high level of accuracy (91%) - providing a greater level of predictability as a sire. More on sire evaluation trial results later in this newsletter sale: Monday, September 5 Open Day: Friday, August 19

2 Sale to be interfaced on AuctionsPlus Kerin Poll: Exposed Open Day Friday, August 19 Karuga Park Woolshed, Bournewood Road, Yeoval Join us for our annual open day, where we will have on display our sale rams as well as a huge display of stud ewes, stud sires, ET lambs and more sheep! We will have a presentation from New Zealand Merino Company Production Science Manager, Dr Mark Ferguson, who has had a distinguished career in sheep research in Australia, including roles on the Lifetime Wool Project at Hamilton, VIC, through to research on the impacts of carcase trait selection on Merino profitability with the WA Department of Agriculture. BBQ lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by Monday, August 15 (for catering), by completing registration via our website or Kate at kerinag@bigpond.com, or call Nigel or Brett. Timetable: 9am 10am 10.10am 11.30am 12pm Rams, stud ewes and ET-bred lambs penned Morning tea and welcome by Nigel Kerin Dr Mark Ferguson, Production Science Manager at The New Zealand Merino Company Designing sheep to be fit for purpose. Take a helicopter view of the decisions and information required to achieve this goal. Consumer trends, transparency and communication, breeding for labour reduction, and a balanced breeding approach. Nigel Kerin, Kerin Poll Merino Stud Where Kerin Poll is heading - and why. The role of ASBVs and ET at Kerin Poll. Just what results are Kerin Poll clients achieving and why? What they manage for is what they get! Lunch Afterwards, join us for a few drinks and nibbles! 2016 sale rams For the first time, the Kerin Poll ram sale will be interfaced with AuctionsPlus ( com.au), with live bidding, video and audio streaming of the auction to remote buyers who are unable to attend our September 5 sale. Our ram sale catalogue will be posted on the AuctionsPlus website well in advance of sale day, so potential buyers can browse our offering, together with photos and videos of key lots. We encourage anyone who cannot attend our sale to come and inspect our sale team at our Kerin Poll: Exposed Open Day on August 19, make your selections, and then use the AuctionsPlus platform to secure your lots. Alternatively, you can get your livestock agent to act on your behalf. Kerin Poll sires leading the field on ASBVs Just six sires used to produce Kerin Poll s 2016 ram sale team, ensuring evenness and predictability If there s one thing we ve learnt, the more sires you use, the less predictable and repeatable the breeding results are. Such predictability is crucial in any stud. Our $142,500 investment into sires, AI and ET to produce this year s sale team is an investment into both the future of our business and yours. We have combined industry-leading ASBVs with structural and physical assessment to pick the eyes out of the stud sire options - leaving us with an elite list of six. If you want consistency and low culling rates, it comes back to the rams you buy and breed from. Buying rams from Kerin Poll, you re not going to have those crazy outcrosses - if you want consistency in your flock, you need to source your genetics from a stud that demonstrates consistency. Below is a summary of these sires and some of the attributes that earnt them a spot on this year s Kerin Poll Sires List. This includes their ranking for ASBVs (as at 26/6/16) when compared to the breed average for those traits. No. Sire What You Plan For Is What You Get! 1 The Kelvinator - MP306 Bought for $53,000 at 2014 Adelaide Royal Show Ram Sale Top 1% - Weaning Weight (WWT, +7.5), Post Weaning Weight (PWT, +8.4) Top 5% - Yearling Weight (YWT, +9.4), Hogget Weight (HWT, +10.1), Adult Weight (AWT, +10.1) Top 20% - Yearling Greasy Fleece Weight (YGFW, +16.7) 2 KP980 Top 1% - YCFW (+42.3) - highest in the country with this level of accuracy (91%), YGFW (+36.2) Top 5% - WWT, PWT, 7% Dual Purpose (DP, 163) Top 10% - YWT (+7.2) 3 KP425 - Trent Top 1% - WWT (+6.7), PWT (+8.7) Top 5% - YWT (+8.6), YGFW (+20.6), 7% DP (163) 4 KP304 Top 1% - YGFW (+28.5) 5 KP627 Top 1% - YGFW (+29.3) Top 10% - WWT (+4.3), PWT (+5.6), YWT (+7.3) 6 KP317 Top 10% - YGFW (+19.4) The best way to predict the future is to create it - Peter Drucker

3 Putting MONEY and MERINOS in the same sentence Kerin Poll sire, KP980, stands to trial Our 2013-drop sire, Kerin Poll 980 (MerinoSelect Animal ID: ), has been entered into two sire evaluation programs - the MerinoLink Central Test Sire Evaluation at Jugiong in southern NSW, and the Macquarie Central Test Sire Evaluation at Trangie in central NSW. At both evaluation sites, KP 980 has been a stand-out for fleece weight and growth. Data collected from the Jugiong site shows the Kerin Poll sire is 13% above the site average for Greasy Fleece Weight (GFW), 16% above average for Clean Fleece Weight (CFW), and he is the highest measured at the site for both CFW and GFW. As noted above, MerinoSelect ASBVs show that KP980 is at the top of the breed for numerous traits - including Top 5% of the breed for the Dual Purpose Plus (DP+) and Merino Production Plus (MP+) indexes. He is a very balanced ram with a loose skin and great density that he is passing on in his progeny. There are too many sires in the industry that have disproportion, whether it be high fleece weight and low growth or high growth and low fleece weights. At Kerin Poll, we strive to breed animals that have parity for what we see as important measurable traits: growth, fleece weight and fertility. To ensure we have a well-rounded, highly profitable animal - in all geographical locations. Chasing rainbows, but no pot of gold Be careful of studs marketing so-called trait-leading Super Sires - by way of sire evaluation trial results or ASBVs. When you actually go into MerinoSelect and look at these sires, they might well be trait leaders but this tag is often attached for traits that really don t impact profit! At sire evaluation trials, we ve observed that some sires who stand out in visually-assessed tops-to-cull ratios (subjective and unmeasured) are in fact underperfoming when the traits that matter are actually measured. Make no mistake about it - don t take your eyes off the ASBVs that actually drive profit, and they are: Post Weaning Weight (PWT) Yearling Weight (YWT) Yearling Greasy Fleece Weight (YGFW) or Clean Fleece Weight (YCFW). Just keep it simple! So, what about genetic fat (YFAT)? What we ve learnt in the past two years is this: the higher the genetic fat gets, the lower the fleece weight, the more colour in your wool, and less crimp definition. This won t always be the case but it is our observation at present - stud breeders will slowly develop a way to combine genetic fat without detriment to the wool. Regardless of which stud Nigel visits, he observes that the higher the genetic fat (YFAT), the lower the fleece weights (YGFW, YCFW). Don t throw the baby out with the bath water, while chasing fat and muscle! the ewes being great mothers = more lambs Growth: from the time they hit the ground. Kelvinator s progeny have been standouts for growth, shape, general appearance Wools: lustrous, white, silky wools carrying superior density. Suited to high rainfall areas Purity: lovely clean soft muzzles, depth of jaw Muscling that would equal any terminal sire KELVINATOR himself: his wool gets better with age, and he still carries faultless structure on a tremendous deep, square frame. as at 26/6/16 WWT PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW The Kelvinator Please note that due to there being no previous use of Kelvinator or Moorundie Park in MerinoSelect, fleece data (YGFW) is not reflecting the actual physical fleece weights. Where does Kelvinator fit in at Kerin Poll for physical fleece weights? On par with KP425 ( Trent ) and coming a close 2nd to KP980 - who, as previously mentioned, is Australia s leading sire for YCFW with accuracy above 90%. With more data in the system, we expect Kelvinator s YGFW to be between +28 and +32. Early weaning to save our best grass We tried something different this year with our April-drop AI and ET lambs, which were born on April 15-20, and weaned on June 9 - at just eight weeks old. Why did we wean so early? At weaning, the 400 lambs averaged 27kg. Allowing for a 5kg birth weight, this equates to a daily weight gain of 392 grams up until weaning at 8 weeks old. This in itself demonstrates the exceptional growth of Kerin Poll sheep and the application of key ASBVs. We didn t mark the lambs before weaning as we wanted them to grow as fast as possible to a weaning weight that we determined would not be detrimental to their future growth and maturity pattern. When weaned, the lambs weren t particularly concerned about being separated from Mum - indicating maturity for age and that nutrition was spot on. The quicker you can wean, the quicker you can take your DSE (dry sheep equivalent) rating from 3.2DSE (per ewe/lamb(s) unit) requiring production feed, to just DSE (lambs only) requiring such high quality feed. The ewe - herself back at a 1.3DSE rating - can go back onto maintenance feed. A 38% drop in DSE rating! The reason we did this was simply to make sure that the lambs would have enough high quality feed into the future, as opposed to the ewes eating the same high quality feed after their job was done. These lambs will be marked in due course and on display at our on-property field day and sale day. Our expectations of weight gain from now until our field day on August 19 - based on previous experience - would be for the lambs to put on 500 grams a day drop ET lambs The Kelvinator producing Lamborghinis We said it on the front cover of this newsletter: has there been a bigger impact sire in the industry than The Kelvinator? We thought we d provide some additional insight into the considerable impact this sire is having on the Kerin Poll flock. Kelvinator (MerinoSelect Animal ID: Moorundie Park Poll, ) has passed onto his sons and daughters all the traits that attracted us to purchase him, and that enticed 32 others studs across the country to use his genetics in their breeding program. Exceptional temperament: very quiet to handle, flowing onto

4 The Non Negotiables that impact profit We thought we would compile a list of what we consider to be aspects of Merino production that are so important, you simply cannot afford NOT to be applying them in your businesses: 1) ewe condition scoring at critical times is most important: prejoining, pre-lambing, lactation and weaning. Kerin Poll applies principles learnt as part of Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) and Bred Well Fed Well training, and we ve observed amazing results from following the simple rules. Kerin Poll sheep are already wired for fertility. We need to make the most from this base through matching nutrition to ewe requirements 2) Pregnancy scanning: we encourage clients to pregnancy scan for multiples as a management tool to increase lamb survivability. This is achieved through the better allocation of feed to the twin-bearing ewes to increase birth weight of their lambs and thus increasing lamb survival. Pregnancy scanning to separate our single-bearing ewes also helps to prevent losses in these ewes from over-feeding 3) Wet and dry: ewes that have either failed to become pregnant or have lambed and don t raise a lamb to weaning have no place in a flock. In reality, you are creating a culture of infertility and are wasting the most valuable commodity we have - GRASS. We are in our 24th year of wet and drying, where every single ewe that has lambed and lost is culled regardless of age. Period. grass we have on-hand. By knowing the requirements of the animals going forward (LTEM principle), we are able to make management decisions to maximise food on offer at the critical times previously discussed. The biggest expense in all grazing businesses is running out of grass. A trip down memory lane Kerin Poll stud ewes We have six Kerin Poll rams sales under our belt, and thought we d provide a summary table of our sale results to date: 4) Weaner management: too often we observe an attitude of leaving ewe weaners to fend for themselves up until the point at which they are required as breeders. Ewe weaners should be treated like a lactating ewe and given the highest quality and quantity of grass to allow them to fully express their genetic potential. In return, you will be given the opportunity to join them as ewe lambs at 7 months old to fast-track genetic gain, and reduce the need to retain any ewes over 4 years old in the flock. This means you are selling surplus ewes at their peak market value and not as downgraded cast-for-age (CFA) ewes. 5) Feed budgeting: given our often unreliable seasonal conditions and variable rainfall events, the use of grazing charts and feed budgeting allows us the ability to predict 3 or 4 months ahead the amount of Sale Year No. Rams Offered No. Sold Sale Average Top Price No. Rams $1000 or Less $1830 $ $2019 $ $1833 $ $1254 $ $1978 $6000 twice $1852 $ Proof in the ASBV pudding Key ASBVs for Yearling Weight (YWT) and Yearling Greasy Fleece Weight (YGFW) have really stood out from industry average in Kerin Poll s 2015-drop, as you can see in the two graphs below DROP PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW AVERAGE ASBVS Kerin Poll Industry Average

5 Putting MONEY and MERINOS in the same sentence KERIN POLL (ET) KERIN POLL (ET) KERIN POLL (ET) SIRE: MP306 AGE: May-drop SIRE: MP306 AGE: May-drop SIRE: MP306 AGE: May-drop MICRON SD CV CF% BW MICRON SD CV CF% BW MICRON SD CV CF% BW kg kg kg PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW KERIN POLL (ET) KERIN POLL All body weights (BW) as at 1/7/16. KERIN POLL SIRE: MP306 AGE: May-drop MICRON SD CV CF% BW kg PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW Partners in our success SIRE: MP306 AGE: May-drop MICRON SD CV CF% BW kg PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW SIRE: KP627 AGE: May-drop MICRON SD CV CF% BW kg PWT YWT YFAT YEMD YGFW

6 Kerin Poll client wins Marra ewe comp Richard and Dixie Stendell s ewe flock takes the eye of ewe comp judges and wins People s Choice Award too! It was a real thrill to see our foundation clients, Richard and Dixie Stendell, Ben Avon, Brewarrina, selected to win this year s Marra Flock Ewe Competition, held on February 29. One of the judges, Dan Korff, Meridian Ag, said of the Stendell s flock: The winning flock was a standout mob of ewes chosen not only by the judges, but also by the 50-odd people on the tour that day, who voted in the People s Choice Award. Dan (pictured, right) provided the following insight into why he believed the Stendell s flock was the overwhelming choice on the day: To my eye and mind, the reasons for these ewes winning the competition were: Frame size and type large-framed ewes, standing tall, great length of body, sound feet and stance. Extremely well-suited to their environment Productive skins (+ wool style) bright, white wools, high density, pushing out good length. Highly, highly consistent throughout the mob Wool cover clean faces, coverage consistent, and good reach down the hocks. A brilliant combination of productive wool growing area (no threatening health issues like grass seeds) and wool in areas that would need to be downgraded at shearing to lower classes Carcase traits linked closely with frame size and type (comments above). The consistency and selection of sheep based on traits such as EMD measurements have many benefits including lamb survival Fecundity for the past five years, this flock has achieved weaning percentages of between 108% and 132%, which is just fantastic and well above the national average for Merinos. These ewes were peas in a pod. To achieve such consistency in traits across a generation (and indeed between generations) takes absolute focus and commitment to the breeding objective you have set for CONGRATULATIONS to Richard, Dixie and Charles Stendell. your operation and taking no prisoners when it comes to selecting for these traits - using the best tools available to measure them. For this manager, the process was a terrific combination of physical assessment and the use of figures aligned to their goals. One of Kerin Poll s other foundation clients and wool broker (Macdonald & Co Woolbrokers), Don Macdonald (pictured, right), attend the farm tour/judging. There was a good cross-section of bloodlines displaying the full spectrum of today s Merino flock, Don said. As a ram client of Kerin Poll s, I was very pleased to see not only the judges choice, but the people s choice as well awarded to Richard and Dixie Stendall s Kerin Poll flock. These ewes showed great structure and conformation with a rich white wool - an outstanding flock. Clients kicking goals back on the farm Our first drop of Kerin Poll wether lambs performed extremely well over a very difficult summer and autumn in The whole F1 drop (out of fine wool ewes) was sold at months, after shearing. The tops averaged 50kg liveweight and made $116, and the seconds (45kg) made $110. We would normally budget $85 for our wether lambs at months. We are turning off our Kerin Poll wether lambs at 15% greater carcase weight, for 33% higher price, and four months earlier. While it is still early days, we expect these figures to translate into a significant increase in our benchmarking performance data. - Graham and Rhonda Gordon, Glendower, Vittoria, via Bathurst I first came across Kerin Poll abour seven years ago at the Dubbo National Merino Ram Show and Sale. I was very impressed with the growth and style of the rams. The wool was a style that I was after - deep-crimping, bright, long-stapled wool. Over the past five years I ve been gradually introducing Kerin Poll rams into our flock. I have been very happy with the growth rates of our lambs, which are now pure Kerin Poll-blood, and have been able to turn off wether lambs at well under 12 months old. I ve been very happy with the style of wool that we re producing, with a long, white staple - to the extent that possibly we re now going to go to an eight monthly shearing because the staple length has increased. We re very happy with the results so far. The 2015 Kerin Poll Ram Sale line-up was very impressive. It s rare that you can go to a sale and tick so many rams that actually suit you and be able to be confident enough to buy rams from the first lot to the very last lot. - Jamie Goldsmith, Compton, Coonamble I been on Nigel s sheep since the stud started. Our weaning percentage has steadily gone up over the years to average 142% for the past two years. Wool cut has gone up about half a kilogram, with our ewes cutting 6.8kg at last shearing, with 11 months growth. What we like about the Kerin Poll sheep is they re an easy-care type sheep, they join up well, we don t get much fly problem or anything else, so we re pleased with them. - Darren Reeks, Woodstock Editor s Note: When factoring in Darren s wool cut and price received for wether lambs last year, he received an average of $ per head! We came to Kerin Poll for their early growth, the opportunity to turn off wethers earlier, and to start joining ewe lambs. Lambs born from the first Kerin Poll rams we bought had early growth rates that were the best that we d had from weaners on our property for a very long time. One bloke said to me once that when you walk into a shed of rams and they all look pretty even, that s pretty much what the lambs are going to throw like. If you walk into a shed of rams and there s 14 different types in there, you might pick the best one but he s probably going to throw like those 14 different types. - Ricky Luhrs, Yama, Mooralla, Western VIC

7 Putting MONEY and MERINOS in the same sentence 2015 RAM SALE: * All 250 rams averaged $1852 * Top of $6600 THIS ONE? The tedious task of ram selection. REPEAT CLIENTS: Henry and Gordon Welsh. TOP PRICE: This 98kg 12-month-old ram, by L1259, topped at $6600. Bought by Phil (pictured, far left) and Rana Hunter, Minnamurra, Yeoval. ASBVs: +8.3 YWT, +23 YCFW. Buyers impressed by growth rates and fleece weights BUYERS chasing industry-leading fleece weights and high growth rates ensured spirited bidding and a total clearance of 250 rams at the 6th annual Kerin Poll On-Property Ram Sale, held on September 7, Buyers travelled from Tasmania, Victoria, and all climatic zones of NSW, with the sale topping at $6600 and averaging $1852. The top 150 rams averaged $2475, while 84 rams sold for $1000 or less - ensuring there were plenty of lots to suit all budgets. The first sons of our exciting sire, Kerin Poll 425 ( Trent ) were offered, with 77 sons averaging $2042. The quality and depth of the line-up was once again appreciated by all in attendance. Consistency shone through. The Land newspaper interviewed a number of buyers after the sale and recorded the following comments: Ricky Luhrs, Yama, Mooralla, VIC: bought three rams at the 2014 Kerin Poll sale and with progeny on the ground, said, they ve got the best growth rates we ve had for a long time. Graham and Rhonda Gordon, Glendower, Vittoria: It was a great sale - Nigel presents the sheep so well. The sheep always have good figures, especially on growth rate and wool weight. You know what you re buying because of the consistency of the 250 rams lined up at the sale. Phil Hunter, Minnamurra, Yeoval: said of his top-priced ram, he had lots of wool stacked on him - a great sheep. Kerin Poll principal, Nigel Kerin, said his goal through offering 20 more rams than the previous year s sale was to ensure there were plenty of rams to suit loyal clients of all budgets, while also accomodating the growing interest from new buyers. This goal remains, and so Kerin Poll will offer a minimum of 250 rams at its 2016 ram sale. ASBVs for Yearling Weight (YWT) and Yearling Clean Fleece Weight (YCFW) were a real feature of the 2015 catalogue, with full sale draft averaging +6.7 for YWT - well above the industry average at the time of and for YCFW, with the industry average at the time sitting at Thank you to all who supported our 2015 sale :-) View our 2015 Sale Highlights video at

8 our passion, your profit CALENDAR This newsletter proudly produced by Important Dates for your Calendar 15, 16, 17 JULY Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Bendigo VIC 26 JULY Midstate Merino Field Day, Dubbo TAFE 1, 2 AUGUST Sheepvention, Hamilton VIC 6 AUGUST Nyngan Ag Expo 12 AUGUST Riverina Sheep Expo, Deniliquin 13 AUGUST Bathurst Merino Expo 19 AUGUST Kerin Poll: Exposed. On-Property Open Day 24, 25 AUGUST Dubbo National Show and Sale 1 SEPTEMBER South West Slopes Field Day, Galong 5 SEPTEMBER 7th Annual Kerin Poll On-Property Ram Sale. Offering 250 Poll Merino rams, 1pm PLUS join us on Facebook Stay updated. Visit our CALENDAR online Have you visited the Kerin Poll website lately? Karuga Park, Bournewood Road, Yeoval NSW 2868 Nigel & Kate Kerin M: (0427) E: kerinag@bigpond.com Brett Kerin M: (0427) E: brettkerin@outlook.com Joe Kerin M: (0437) E: joseph.kerin94@gmail.com